Complete Nutrition Guide For People With High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a condition when the pressure in the blood soars. This blood pressure that is too high certainly cannot be left alone. If left unchecked, heart disease and blood vessels can attack you. Then it must be handled appropriately, one of which is to regulate food for hypertensive people on a regular basis. So, how to regulate food for the right hypertensive person? See below.

Nutritional needs of people with hypertension

Actually, energy requirements for people with hypertension are the same as energy needs for people without hypertension. However, when people with hypertension have excess body weight, of course the number of calories entered must be adjusted to their conditions.

Because, research shows that body weight is directly related to blood pressure, therefore all overweight or obese patients with hypertension are advised to lose weight and achieve normal waist circumference.

Decreasing weight of 4-5 kg ​​in overweight patients with hypertension can reduce 4-7 mmHg systolic blood pressure and 3-6 mmHg diastolic. The more weight you lose, the blood pressure will be normal and awake.


Usually, people who experience excess weight are recommended to reduce their daily calorie intake by 500-750 kcal. So, if you previously needed 2000 calories per day, then to reduce weight your energy needs were cut to 1200-1500 kcal.

What kind of diet is recommended?

One of the recommendations for regulating food for hypertensive people is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, or the DASH diet. This diet is recommended for people with hypertension to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The DASH diet is a principle diet that requires you to consume more fiber from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, choose low-fat sources, and limit sodium intake.


Instead of consuming sodium, this DASH diet recommends that you eat foods high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium which can help keep blood pressure normal.

What should be limited by people with hypertension?

Caffeine

Caffeine can increase blood pressure up to 5-10 mmHg. Although usually temporary, this should still be avoided.


If indeed you are a true coffee buff, you should not drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day.

Alcohol

Alcohol also needs to be limited by people with hypertension, because alcohol can increase blood pressure. Research shows that drinking alcohol regularly more than 3 cups per day is associated with an increased risk of blood pressure and heart disease.


Therefore, in the DASH diet there are also restrictions on drinking alcohol, ie less than 2 cups per day for men and less than 1 glass per day for women, and alcohol should not be taken regularly

Can people with hypertension not eat salt?

Not only regulating food for hypertensive people, use is also very important for high blood pressure people.

Relax, you can still use salt with certain conditions, depending on the condition of your blood pressure at that time. Sodium in salt makes you have to limit this kitchen seasoning.

So, in fact you not only have to limit the use of salt, but various foods that contain high sodium. Although sodium can make blood pressure rise, basically the body still needs these minerals to help regulate fluid in the kidneys.

When the kidneys filter blood and expel unneeded substances through urine, this organ requires the role of sodium and potassium.

Well, unfortunately if you consume too much sodium, it will interfere with kidney function in filtering and removing excessive fluid. Finally, the fluid in the body builds up.


This fluid pile presses the area of ​​the blood vessels leading to the kidney, so that the blood flow is not smooth and causes blood pressure to rise. Therefore, one important rule in the diet for people with hypertension is to limit the use of salt and foods containing sodium.

Then, how much salt (sodium) is allowed?

Sodium for people with hypertension is recommended between 1500-2300 mg per day, equivalent to three quarters to one teaspoon of salt.

Some people may not experience high blood pressure after limiting the use of salt. In fact, more people have lower blood pressure after reducing their sodium intake.

Usually, this condition is experienced by people who are sensitive to sodium such as the elderly, people with diabetes who have high blood pressure and people with chronic kidney disease.


Although restricted, salt and sodium should not be avoided at all, because it is still needed by the body and affects the work of the heart. Therefore, you should consult a nutrition specialist regarding how much sodium and salt you have to cut a day.

Do people with hypertension have to use special salt?

Now there are many salt products that are claimed to be safe for people with hypertension. However, this product is still a big question mark for most people with hypertension. Actually, do you really need a product like this or not?

Using salt specifically for hypertension is not really needed. Basically, you can outsmart a rather bland food, because you don't use salt, by adding various herbs and spices to make it taste stronger.

That way is safer than using special hypertension salt. Some special hypertensive salts contain potassium chloride. This substance must be avoided by people who have to limit their daily potassium intake.

In addition, sea salt, which is said to have a lower sodium content than table salt, is in fact not completely safe and recommended.


Sea salt turns out to contain a variety of other minerals that are quite high, so you should be wary of those who have hypertension.

In addition to arranging food for hypertensive people, do these tips

• Do exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes per day.
• Quit smoking.
• Relaxation therapy and managing stress.
• Always read the label of nutritional value in packaged foods / beverages, especially the sodium content. Choose foods that have% RDA (Nutritional Adequacy Rate) or% DV (Daily Value) sodium 5% or less.
• Avoid packaged foods that have% RDA or% DV sodium above 20%.
• Take regular hypertension medication if you have been diagnosed with hypertension, even during normal tension.

Always consult with your doctor to adjust the dose of hypertension medication needed.

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